Hotel Grande Bretagne Athens

Hotel is very rich in detail. The roof top patio is really cool. The location of GB is perfect, great shopping and restaurants within walking distance. The hotel desk and conceirge were very helpful and they booked my ferry tickets for me. I used SPG points to stay. The only disappointment I had is that I did not get upgraded. My room was very small, but very nice. The marble bath room is gorgeous. I looked at the floor map on the back of the door and I had one of the smallest rooms on the floor facing the inside atrium. You might want to ask for a room facing Syntagama Square and the Acropolis.

This HAS to be the best hotel in the world. My expectations for Athens were low but I never expected the luxury of the Grand Bretagne. It reminded me of The Crillion in Paris only better. The rooftop pool is outstanding and service is great. What they call the Rooftop Garden is an understatement...a beautiful outdoor modern restaurant and bar overlooking the Parthenon. It doesn't get any better than this.

The rooms and bathrooms are fantastic as well. The bed is so comfortable so be sure to request a wake up call!

A wonderful hotel - total luxury. The new spa is wonderful - a tranquil pool as well a whole series of steam rooms offering different temperatures, a reflexology foot bath and tropical rain shower. You can see the acropolis from the roof garden - and the new olympic stadium. Definitely worth the money

The most wonderful hotel in Europe! Loved the staff, the surroundings, and the rooms. We had a balcony overlooking Syntagma Square, with the Aropolis beyond. And, you can walk just about anywhere from the Hotel (the Metro Station is adjacent), including the Plaka and the Kolonaki (sp?) districts.

This hotel is also a recent addition to the Starwood Group, so we used points to stay one of the two nights (elegant breakfast was included!).

Enjoy!

I stayed at the Hilton upon arrival in Greece, and then at the Grande Bretagne before departure just to compare the two.Of the two, the Grande Bretagne is the superior hotel and what I expect from an international 5-star luxury hotel. Its location is perfect for walking to most important tourist sites in Athens. The staff tries hard and is efficient (some can be haughty, but this is true at the Hilton as well). The building, public areas and rooms feel absolutely new yet are imbued with dignity and tradition. Room decor and quality of carpeting, furnishings, bed and marble and wood inlays feel extravagent and luxurious. You feel coddled from the superior nightly turn-down service which includes a bottle of mineral water, chocolate and clean "good night" rug by each bed, to the newspaper the following morning. Phone and wake-up service is answered by your name in the correct language. Surprisingly, no luggage racks were in the room, so we had to open the suitcases on the floor. Breakfast buffets were not as extensive as the Hilton's, but quality was high. There was no cook to provide eggs or omelettes cooked to order. The signature hotel restaurant GB Corner has perfect service and great food, although you won't feel like you are in Greece while eating there.This was the only luxury hotel we stayed in Greece that allowed TP to be flushed down the toilet (the other hotels including the Hilton have the foot-operated trash cans next to the toilet). If you decide to enjoy your room, this hotel had the most extensive cable channels available we enjoyed in Greece, including not only CNN and BBC, but Bloomberg, CNBC and Discovery channels.There is currently some city renovation work (May 2004) going on in Syntagma Square, so expect some jackhammering until they are through (hopefully before the Olympics). Double-glazed windows block almost all of the noise anyway.The Athens Hilton is a good "second choice" luxury hotel, but is removed from the center of things, requiring a taxi or taking the metro for tourists. There is no concierge staff. The view of the Acropolis all the way down to the sea is spectacular from the Hilton, and the breakfast buffets are an adventure! The rooms although large and ultra-modern (no carpeting), are simply not as comfortable or luxurious as the Grande Bretagne hotel rooms, nor is the service as impeccable.

The moment one enters the elegant beaux-arts lobby one cannot help but be drawn to the notion of old fashioned values and quality of service, indeed exhibited throughout the entire staff of this property. From the doorman, to reception staff, from spa therapists to waitresses service at all times was exemplary.

Don't expect the rooms to be huge, I booked a junior suite which was large, with a stunningly fitted no expense spared bathroom. Very high ceilings are another feature which is enjoyed by all the rooms, adding to their spacious feel. The view from the 30 ft terrace over the Parliament, Syntagma Sq., and the acropolis itself was yet another bonus. The standard "classic" room is smaller and has a view over a well landscaped and open courtyard. I would advise at least a "deluxe" room which features a larger size in both bedroom and bathroom along with a terrace complete with a more interesting outlook - the acropolis and Syntagma square.

Breakfast in the Royal Room was superb - fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and redcurrants every day was an highlight, not to mention the freshly baked breads, pastries, great cheeseboard... the list goes on! The Winter Garden which served light meals was another triumph - a place where locals came to talk over a coffee or hot chocolate in an extremely charming and warm setting. The bar's cocktails were exemplary, as was the service in both. The GB Corner once again did not disappoint.

The newly created basement spa was sublime: Every locker contained a bathrobe, towel, slippers, overshorts, and a bag for your wet swimming costume waiting for you. The pool area itself is paved in white marble, and features a laconium, steam room ("amethyst grotto"), experience showers, and a herbal sauna. With each having its own unique sensual & aromatherapy qualities, scents of sandalwood, patchouli, vanilla, bay, lavender, camomile were experienced (respectively) a true feast for the body, and spirit. Other guests were equally impressed with the beautifully fitted spa complex. Similar spas are now becoming the norm, but in Athens it was a real luxury to retreat from the hustle and bustle going on a mere 20 yards away.

It is hard to find fault with this property, one can always say the rooms are never big enough, but then you get what you pay for! If you happen to be in Athens, which itself is now becoming a most pleasant modern city, this is THE only place to stay (if you are in the luxury market that is).

The relatively high prices are worth it, and rateplans including breakfast are a bonus. Enjoy your stay here I'm positive you will not be disappointed!

I recently stayed in an Athens View room and this hotel is now my favorite of any in the world and I've stayed in quite a few luxury hotels. The room was expensive but had a large balcony with the most equisite view of the Acropolis you can imagine. And the newly redone room was excellent too with every modern feature. If I ever return to Athens, there's no question where I will stay.

We stayed at the Grande Bretagne for two nights before heading to the Greek Islands. What an amazing hotel and a perfect place to relax after a long plane ride. We had what was probably one of the smallest rooms and without any view--the window looked into the hotel's interior courtyard...very nice though--but we did not feel cheated in the least.

The room was beautifully furnished with an amazingly comfortable bed, great shower and tub, tons of towels, internet service thru the television, and even little mats layed beside the bed so that you didn't have to step on the carpet with your bare feet--even though that was a little over the top! The hotel bar is also very well appointed and relaxing and GB Corner, one of the restaurants, was very, very good. The pool and spa were not yet open when we visited, but if they are anything like the rest of the hotel, they will be worth it. If you can at all swing the price--definitely worth your stay. (We made all of our arrangements through an Athens travel agent--they get special rates in all of the Greek hotels--that way you don't have to pay list prices.) Enjoy!

We spent 4 nights at the Hotel Grande Bretagne in June 2003. WOW. This is a true European Luxury Collection hotel I cant say enough good things about the quality level of this recently reopened property. We were given an upgrade to a suite overlooking the Parliament building. A nice platinum amenity of a refreshed daily fruit basket and a bottle of wine was a treat considering the lack of any amenity at the two previous Luxury Collection hotels. The suite had a nice entry room with two closets, a small living room with couch, TV and chandelier, a nice bedroom with a king size bed and another TV and chandelier, and a very big bathroom the best Starwood bathroom Ive been in. The bathroom has a doublesink, a tub with a small wall TV facing it and a separate shower/steam room with an overhead showerhead. Nice big towels, good robes, great water pressure and Molton Brown London toiletries. The window curtains electronically open and close at the push of a button; the room is serviced twice a day. The furnishings in the suite were top of the line. High speed in-room internet access is 10 Euro for 24 hours. The location of the property is perfect for sightseeing or business and the metro is outside the front door.Athens itself was experiencing a heat wave so seeing the sights was like touring in a sauna with a heatlamp overhead. Unfortunately, the Grande Bretagnes pools (one indoor, one outdoor) are not set to open until later in the year (likely September). The preview photo of the outdoor pool makes it seem like it will match the class of the property, although it will be on the small size.The Winter Garden lounge off the lobby has a dress code after 6 pm (no sneakers or shorts, need a collared shirt) but in this atmosphere you would feel out of place dressing down anyways. Service was outstanding from the concierge, front desk staff, maid, travel desk as well as the bellman. If you have any reason to stay in Athens, this should be the only place you consider. If you plan on going during the Olympics in 2004, book directly with the hotel now.

The GB has been just reopened after being closed for several years. Everything is 5 star and it's location is perfect for walking to many sites and museums. The bar used to be THE meeting place in town and needs to restrore its eminence. I had stayed there during the 50s and 60s and was happy to see it restored.